[9303] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
The annointed
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Sheldon Mains 612-297-2376)
Tue Dec 28 14:13:46 1993
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1993 13:09:11 -0600
From: mains@lmic.state.mn.us (Sheldon Mains 612-297-2376)
To: com-priv@psi.com
There has been a number of postings that seem to imply that the people on
internet now are better than those who could come on in the future.
Examples include the assertion that UNIX is fine and anyone on the net
should know it to the complaint that those who buy "Internet in a Box" will
not bring anything to the net nor know that they should.
First, for something like internet to survive the changes in the industry,
there has to be more than just computer junkies, academics and government
types on it. People like my neighbor who manages a warehouse need to find
value in the net. It can not be an elitist system.
Second, we don't know what people will bring. Some of it will be trash,
some of it will be wonderful.
Third, the system has to be easier to use. How many of your friends can
not program their VCR?--and we expect them to understand UNIX, let alone
DOS?
Finally, any step that gets more people to understand the value of two-way
electrionic communications as opposed to the one-way model of broadcast TV
and cable, is useful. So what if nbc.com is only e-mail, it is better
than nothing.
